So you just became a mama - congrats! You should feel proud of yourself because you just did something amazing. You just brought a human life into this world, and if you adopted your baby, then you just saved the life of that child and brought them into a home of love. Take a minute to soak all the happiness and love in, and to exhale all of the anxiety and stress over how bringing a new, tiny lifeform home would be because you made it.
Now depending on how recently you just brought your little one home, you may still be running on that newborn high. If you are - then I encourage you to take advantage of all that extra energy because the exhaustion is going to set in very soon. Right now is the time to start setting yourself up for success. What I mean by that, is anything that will make your life a little easier, is encouraged to do right now if you can.
I kid you not, we set up a folding table at the end of our bed so that we could set out diapers, extra outfits, wipes, burp clothes, etc. for the first six weeks or so. It looked ridiculous, but in the middle of the night, we didn't even have to get out of bed to change those tiny little diapers. Our sofa table in the living room also became a diaper station. We had a little caddy with everything we would need on it, and a changing mat on it so that we didn't have to go into the nursery or our room. When you're so exhausted you could fall asleep standing up, the extra steps to another room are a struggle.
We also put motion activated night lights in all the hallways. This way we didn't have to turn on overhead lights that would wake our baby if he was sleeping, but we could still see to walk to the bathroom or anything else we needed to do.
I was nursing and pumping to try and get my supply up so I also had pump stations set up throughout the house near the diapering stations. This way, I always had a pump bra, a nursing cover, lanolin cream, nursing pads, extra bottles, or whatever else I needed available. If you have multiple pumps you can store them in the different rooms as well, if you only have one pump then I would encourage everyone who can afford it to invest in a portable pump. This way the pump is easy to take with you wherever you go. Some of the new, smaller pumps, can even clip on so you're hands free and can do the dishes or any other easy activity while you pump. Again, when you are having to take the time to pump anyway, you might as well try and maximize and get anything else done that you can at the same time.
Stash burp cloths, diapers, wipes, a swaddle, and an extra set of clothes in every room of the house. I kid you not, a blow out or spit up will happen in the one room in the house that you don't have those easily accessible if you don't. Don't worry about your house looking pretty, just worry about keeping your baby safe and happy right now. There will be time to clean up and have a beautiful house once you're getting more sleep.
Take any help you can get. I know you want to hold your baby and stare at them because they are just so tiny and cute and how could you not. But, if someone else asks to help out or hold the baby, and you feel its safe to let them, then do it. Take advantage and lie down, get something done you have been wanting to but weren't able to because baby needed you, or just enjoy the hands free activity.
Baby wear. Seriously this is a lifesaver. I used to wear my baby all over the house. He loved to be snuggled up against my chest, and I was hands free so I could get laundry done, or dishes, or any number of things if I was being productive, and if I was just relaxing then I could actually relax and have a cold drink in my hand for once. You can use any baby carrier or wrap that you feel comfortable using. If your friends have one they aren't using anymore, see if you can borrow one for the time being.
Set your baby down. I know this is hard, because again they are cute and tiny and you want to hold them and kiss them all the time. But they are not mobile in the newborn stage and you will soon see this is a saving grace. You can set them down somewhere safe, where you can see them, and still do other things. Even shower, or get dressed, read a book, or just something for you. You deserve to have a minute without anyone else touching you mama.
Let your baby cry. Hear me out - I don't mean let them scream and cry for hours. They are a newborn and need comfort or an assortment of other things of course and this is their way of communicating with you. But, if they cry every time you set them down, then set them down often, let them cry for a minute, and then go comfort. They will start to realize you are going to get them after a minute and won't cry every single time. Then you can gradually work your way to two minutes, five minutes, and so on. And if your baby keeps crying every time for a minute and you aren't working your way up, then its still okay to set them down for a minute. Sometimes you need that moment to gather yourself. To steal yourself, and prepare yourself for the next hour or hardship coming. It is better to set your child down somewhere safe and let them cry for a minute, than to get so worked up that you yell at your child or harm them in some way. Again, you deserve the minute mama so give yourself that grace.
Most importantly, remember that there is no better mama for that baby than you. You were meant to be your baby's mom, and so you are the best mom for the baby. Always remember to give yourself that grace and reminder because you deserve it. So hold yourself a little higher, give a shout out to all the other mamas out there doing their thing, and carry on with your multi-tasking, kick-ass attitude, because that's all there is left to do and we're all in this together.
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